Sennheiser HD 650 Studio Headphones

Updated April 1, 2019 |  by Hollagully

With a little research into the Sennheiser HD 650 you will quickly learn that for many years they have been the benchmark against which all current flagship headphones are compared. This includes many very high-priced studio headphones and helps establish the HD 650 as some of the best price for value headphones on the market.

sennheisser-hd-650-recording-headphones

Sennheiser HD 650

Specifications:

  • System: Dynamic
  • Design: Open-back
  • Frequency range: 10Hz – 39.5kHz
  • Sensitivity: 103dB SPL
  • Impedance: 300 ohms
  • THD: .05%

Pros:

  • Unbeatable for the price
  • Incredible build
  • Renowned, balanced sound that translates well across all playback devices
  • Accentuated but non-biased mids
  • Punchy lows free of over-exaggeration
  • Replaceable ear pads

Cons:

  •  Need sufficient amplification to be driven hard

The Sennheiser HD 650 excel in mixing audio with plenty of spacial information across a wide range of frequencies. In an open-back design, dynamic drivers with highly-efficient neodymium magnets and aluminum voice coils are positioned quite far from the ear to provide a vast soundstage with incredible imaging and separation.

People tend to praise the HD 650 for their articulate low end that is punchy and full without crowding up too much of the mix as to compromise the mids or highs. There is a narrow valley at 70Hz before they slope down to 10Hz, leaving plenty of room for manipulating sub frequencies.

Starting at 90Hz is a wide peak that brings forward all of the upper bass and entire mid-range. This area is extremely revealing and detailed, allowing for excellent mixing of kick drums and bass elements to sit complimentary to one another. The mids are smooth, rich, while remaining rather neutral. They offer extraordinary clarity and certainly do not fatigue after hours of use.

The highs are sometimes accused for being a bit veiled as they have some peaks and valleys and roll off a bit too soon for some. We tend to agree, however this does not seem to serve poorly after mixes are played across multiple listening devices. They still offer a profoundly lush presence and an overall well-balanced sound.

The Sennheiser HD 650 do certainly fit like a luxury product. The replaceable over ear velour earpads fit snug with perfect pressure to fir securely for long sessions. They have a good balance of plastic to metal making them highly durable yet quite light at the same time. Plug them in via a detachable 3m long cable with proprietary connectors that connect on either side of the headphones.

It should be noted that the HD 650 have a pretty high impedance of 300 ohms which means they will require an amplifier or sound card with a decent preamp on their phones output for them to be really driven to their capacity. With a sufficient power source, the true revealing qualities of the HD 650 really stand out.

The Sennheiser HD 650 are ideal for engineers who work primarily in mixing and post-production with an eclectic portfolio. They serve extremely well for achieving top results in everything from hip hop to film scoring, and sound design to jazz. If what you’re after is a one-stop-shop kind of headphone that will get your mixes sounding great and at a very realistic price, then check out the Sennheiser HD 650 and discover why so many audio professionals call them THE headphones for mixing.

www.sennheiser.com

Further Reading:

To help you out on your quest for the right set of cans, we’ve included links below to detailed reviews of a few models that feature similar characteristics to the Sennheiser HD 650.

We’ve put together The Ultimate Guide to Studio Headphones for Music Production that will teach you about different types of headphones, the applications they serve best, and a long list of great candidates for your home studio.

Alternatives:
AKG K702, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, Grado Prestige SR80e, AKG Q 701

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